83% of marketers use social media to create company and brand awareness

Over three-fifths (64 per cent) of marketers use some form of social media to promote their companies, according to a YouGov survey by Eloqua, with 83 per cent saying a main reason for doing so is to create company and brand awareness.

However, the research found that only 22 per cent say that social media is used to capture information on leads.

It was discovered that only 35 per cent incorporate social into their demand generation activities, with 43 per cent admitting to having no strategy in place for integrating social and 33 per cent saying they are unsure of when they will incorporate social into their demand generation campaigns.

Heidi Melin, CMO at Eloqua, said: "A lack of clear strategy around social and demand generation is holding companies back.

"Marketers still feel the pressure to 'go social' and improve awareness across social channels but for those involved in lead generation, integrating social throughout the process remains somewhat of a mystery. While UK marketers may be missing an opportunity today, the good news is that there are now tools and technologies available to help them socially engage with prospects at each step of the buyer's journey."